New training program for police officers begins

The Federal Government has commenced a new training program for officers of the Nigeria Police Force to make them more effective in discharging their obligations.

It is expected that the new training program will make the force a more potent tool in fighting corruption in line with government's criminal justice and police reform agenda.

According to a statement issued on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, the training program which commenced on March 9 is a collaborative effort between the Presidency and the Nigeria Police Force.

In the first part of the four-part training which was concluded on Friday, , twenty police officers of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police drawn from across the country were taken through seven modules covering Strategic Leadership and Management.

Each module was designed to sharpen the skills of the senior police officers and help them to translate the strategic vision and policing agenda of the Police High Command into manageable and measurable operational directives with the goal of overall nationwide effective criminal justice administration.

A total of 100 senior police officers will be trained over the duration of the courses and at the end of the fourth course, the training program will be transferred to one of the Police training institutions along with a standardised curriculum and training manual.

The training was facilitated by  Professor Olu Ogunsakin, a consultant for the Justice for All Programme of the UK Department for International Development , Professor Todd Foglesong, a Professor of Global Studies with the Munk School of Global Affairs of the University of Toronto, Professor Etannibi Alemika, a Professor of Criminology at the University of Jos, Professor Abubakar Mu’azu, a Professor of Communications at the University of Maiduguri, Mrs. Kemi Okenyodo, Executive Director of Partners West Africa – Nigeria, Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, most recently the Executive Director of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, and DIG Saliu Argungu Hashimu, Deputy Inspector-General of Police on Training and Development.